She was charged in 2017 amid a wide-ranging investigation in at least four states, including Texas, of pharmacies that provide compound pain medication to military veterans and others with private insurance. Compounding pharmacies create their own drugs by combining two or more prescription ingredients.

Blakely admitted that she conspired with two compounding pharmacies that would submit claims for reimbursement to health care benefit programs, including Tricare, for compounded medications based on the prescriptions.

In exchange for her role in the conspiracy, the two compounding pharmacies paid Blakely nearly $1.15 million between 2013 and 2014.

Blakely and her co-conspirators disguised the kickbacks and bribes by writing fictitious and back-dated “consulting agreements,” and occasionally forged the signature of a medical professional on prescriptions, U.S. Attorney John Bash said in a news release.

From approximately February 2013 through December 2014, health care benefit programs, including Tricare, reimbursed the two compounding pharmacies more than $8.8 million.

On ExpressNews.com: Clinic raid in San Antonio came from federal probe of compound drug makers

The news release does not identify the pharmacies, but the Express-News confirmed that, in 2015, the federal government reached a settlement with one of them, MediMix Specialty Pharmacy of Jacksonville, Florida, and a top-referring physician, Dr. Ankit Desai, for more than $3.7 million.

Under the deal, the parties resolved allegations that, from Jan. 1, 2009, until December 2014, Dr. Desai sent hundreds of prescriptions to MediMix. Desai was married to a vice president of MediMix.

“Health care providers are generally prohibited from referring business to entities where they have a financial interest,” said a Florida news release announcing the settlement.